Monthly Report: Rule of Law Programme › content › report › irsop › ... · Diversion also functioned as facilitators and the Upazila Supervisors played a crucial role in all

Prisoners released by the Paralegals’ Interventions from Jan’09 to Mar’17

Quantitative Achievements in March 2017 – at a glance

Paralegal Advisory Services (PAS)

Released from Prisons

PAS interventions Persons assisted in Court

Persons assisted in Police Station

Number of total PLC

468 18035 6643 544 240 Restorative Justice

Mediation Restorative Justice (RJ) Diversion

185 238 291 Strategies for Reducing Recidivism

Drug Referrals Skill Development Trainings Motivational Sessions

310 7 650 Table of Content

Content Page Content Page Project Steering Committee Meeting of JRCP 2 Information and Motivation Campaign 6 Meeting and Workshop 2 Capacity Building 7 Voice of the Stakeholders 4 Coordination among the stakeholders 7 Skill Development Training 5 Achievements (Table and Graphs) 10-12 Event Report 5 Case Studies 13-16 Certificate Giving Ceremony 6 Annexures 1 – 6.2 17-25

Monthly Report: Rule of Law Programme

Improvement of the Real Situation of Overcrowding in Prisons in Bangladesh (IRSOP)

(A joint project of the Ministry of Home Affairs and GIZ)

Justice Reform and Corruption Prevention (JRCP) (A project of Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs,

Anti-Corruption Commission and GIZ)

RELEASED ON BAIL, DISCHARGED AND ACQUITTED

15,171 TOTAL INTERVENTIONS

354,409

8th Project Steering Committee Meeting on 30 March, 2017

March 2017

Inauguration of Furniture Making training in Kashimpur Central Jail - II

Monthly Progress Report March–2017

Rule of Law Programme | GIZ- Bangladesh 2

Project Steering Committee Meeting of JRCP The 8th Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting was held on 30 March 2017 at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (MoLJPA). Mr. A.S.S.M. Zahirul Haque, Honourable Secretary, Law and Justice Division, MoLJPA presided over the meeting. Mr. Md. Mostafizur Rahman, Additional Secretary and NPD of JRCP Project moderated the meeting.

The main agenda of the meeting was discussion and approval of the minutes of the 7th PSC meeting, project progress and MoU between NLASO and the Rule of Law Programme of GIZ Bangladesh.

National Project Director, in his speech thanked ERD, Planning Commission and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for their great support to get RTPP approved. He also shared his views about the ongoing National Justice Audit and requested all relevant institutions for extending their cooperation for this joint endeavour.

A review on the JRCP project progress and annual work plan started with an interactive discussion by the members. The Director General, ACC made remarks on corruption prevention activities at district level especially the work of Integrity Units. There was an effective discussion on the institutional collaboration and cooperation between NLASO and the Rule of Law Programme of GIZ Bangladesh. It was brought to the attention of the committee that retired govt. witnesses, especially police and doctors are not getting any transport bill whenever they are coming to court. It was decided that MoLJPA will send a letter to the IG Police

requesting him to issue an official letter to all Court Inspectors to take initiative so that the retired police witness (Investigation Officer) can get a transport bill from DC office accordingly. Another letter will be sent by Solicitor General Office to all Public Prosecutors

(CC to District & Sessions Judge, Deputy Commissioner and Police Super) to take the same step in this regard.

The Operations Director of GIZ-Rule of Law Programme expressed her sincere gratitude to PSC members and thanked especially MoLJPA and ACC for their continuous support to this project.

In the concluding remarks, the Law Secretary thanked GIZ for providing technical support to improve the rule of law in Bangladesh. He also thanked the different stakeholders for their support and cooperation in this journey.

The Director General (Research & Prevention), ACC; the Secretary, Law Commission; the Additional Registrar, Supreme Court; the Joint Secretary and the Deputy Secretary, Law and Justice Division, MoLJPA; the Joint Chief, Planning Commission; the Director (Research & Prevention), ACC and DNPD, JRCP Project; the Senior Assistant Chief, Law and Justice Division, MoLJPA; the Senior Assistant Chief, MoHA; the Senior Assistant Chief, MoWCA; the Senior Assistant Chief, MoSW; the Assistant Director, NLASO; the Senior ASP, Police Headquarters; the Assistant Chief, ERD; the Operations Director, RoL-GIZ and representatives of other government offices and GIZ were present at the meeting.

Meeting and Workshop

Strategic Planning Workshop of Anti-Corruption Commission

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Bangladesh has prepared its Five-Year Strategic Plan that will function as a roadmap for the Commission until 2021. It defines priority areas for interventions in order to minimize the problems; the ACC is currently dealing with. GIZ has provided technical and consultancy support to the ACC to develop the strategic plan. Recently, the ACC has finalized its first year action plan as an integral part of the overall strategic plan.



In a Strategic Planning Workshop on 22 March 2017, the Commissioner and Senior Officials of ACC highlighted four key strategic priority areas for the discussion. A total of 30 participants (5 female, 25 male) attended the workshop, among them the Director General (Prevention Wing), Directors and Deputy Directors of the ACC. The Commissioner Dr. Nasiruddin Ahmed was present during the workshop. Two international consultants of GIZ, Mr. Gerald Osborn and Ms. Sally Atkinson Sheppard, facilitated the workshop.

The identified four key strategic priority areas are: Developing international network

Developing a national campaign strategy Social Audit Identify ways to improve success rate at court

In a group work, participants were invited to brainstorm and come up with sets of suggestions for a detailed approach of those priority areas. With the cordial cooperation of the ACC officials the workshop was successfully completed. The suggestions made during the presentations and discussions were valuable and will be pursued further. There was a strong suggestion to integrate the discussions into the overall strategic planning process, particularly the plans for implementation.

Workshop with Union Parishad (UP) member The workshop was held on 20 – 21 March 2017 aiming to share knowledge on mediation, diversion, Restorative Justice (RJ) and gender responsive local dispute resolution methods among the newly elected UP chairmen and members in Gopalganj. Three workshops were organized by Madaripur Legal Aid Association (MLAA) in which there were a total of 35 participants (22 females, 13 males) who attended from the working areas.

Workshop on Criminal Justice System focuses on Mediation and Gender Issues A total of three workshops were held on 27, 28 and 30 March, 2017 in Khadimpara Union Parishad, Sadar

Upazila, Sylhet district, and in Kushmail & Deukhola Union Parishad of Fulbaria Upazila in Mymensingh district. A total of 83 participants (25 female, 58 male) attended the workshops. The main objective of the workshop was for the UP and CBO members to learn about mediation skills and gender issues for enhanced implementation of mediation at the community level.

Specialized Training on Restorative Justice Six batches of residential training for experienced Restorative Justice Facilitators were organized by SUS & FIVDB. A total of 144 participants (64 female, 80 male) from 16 unions of Mymensingh and Sylhet attended the training. GIZ provided mentoring support and six skilled mentors from RDRS, Agragati Sangastha, Light House and MLAA respectively facilitated the 6 batches distinctively. The training sessions were conducted following the Restorative Justice Training Manual developed by the project, by using theoretical, practical and documentary based demonstrations. Master trainer and Manager-RJ & Diversion also functioned as facilitators and the Upazila Supervisors played a crucial role in all RJ trainings.

Stakeholders Dialogue at Upazila level A dialogue meeting was held on “Restorative Justice and Diversion Situation and Initiative” with different stakeholders at RDRS Bangladesh office in Pirgonj of Thakurgaon district on 28 March 2017.

The participants performed exercises aimed to ensure best support for relevant parties (victim and offender) through collective approaches. A presentation and a

case study were presented to highlight the achievements and positive impacts of Diversion.



The beneficiaries of RJ expressed their satisfaction and said that “If we didn’t resolve the conflict through RJ, it would be very difficult to maintain good relationships between us (victim and offender)”.

The meeting was presided over by Md. Jihurul Islam, Additional

District Commissioner.

Md. Lalon Dewan Ahmed, the

Additional Superintend of Police (ASP) was the Chief Guest at this event. To

strengthen RJ at the community level, capacity building of local government (UP Chairmen) came to light as a recommendation from the participants.

Orientation Session for Village Police and Special Meeting with UP Representative

On 19, 20 and 22 March 2017, a half day orientation

was held at Pirganj, Birol

and Bochagonj

Union of Thakurgaon

and Dinajpur district by RDRS. This

initiative had been taken by MLAA at Madaripur Sadar and Rajoir on 16 and 20 March 2017. MLAA and Light House took special initiative to conduct dialogue sessions with six UP members to increase diversion cases. The main motto of the orientation session was to increase the number of diversions on compoundable issues from the police station through village police. IRSOP related activities and the objectives of the project were also discussed in the session. The participants learned about the types of cases that can be diverted to Union Organizers and RJ facilitators. Name and mobile numbers of all RJ facilitators along with phone numbers of the PNGO staff was provided to the Village Police so that they can divert compoundable issues to mitigate them

locally. The Village Police recommended arranging a monthly meeting between IRSOP RJ facilitators and the staff in order to maintain a strong collaboration. This orientation event was well appreciated by the Officer-in-Charge of Pirganj. He said that “This initiative will build the capacity of Village Police and is praiseworthy initiative”. He added that the focus will be on filing only non-compoundable cases in Police Stations and so this orientation will help the Village Police to differentiate between those cases.

Meeting with DLAC & DWA In order to accelerate the diversion of non-compoundable criminal cases to DLAC and Department of Women Affairs (DWA) and to strengthen the coordination with DLAC and DWA the two meetings were organized by the project on March, 2017. Project Officers shared their experiences on mediation and restorative justice of compoundable criminal offences and diversion of compoundable and non-compoundable criminal cases. Major focus was to build a referral linkage

Additional Superintend of Police said, “Police stations need to be more focused on case diversion into the community.”

Voice of the Stakeholders “I am very pleased to see that you are helping us solve petty conflicts and preventing us from getting into even bigger conflicts. I am really very happy to see your RJ system”

- Meghna Khatun (Offender)

The GIZ Restorative Justice Team has recently developed a mechanism called “Reaction Evaluation of the beneficiaries” to assess the quality of Mediation and RJ. Restorative Justice Team launched this activity in March 2017. Two districts (Shatkhira and Jessore) and 20 cases were randomly selected to evaluate the stakeholder’s level of satisfaction regarding the decisions made in the RJ sessions. To ensure the authenticity of the conflict and the satisfaction level of both victim and offender, the questionnaire contained questions on each segment of the RJ process. The findings of this reaction evaluation revealed that all parties involved in the conflict responded to be satisfied with the decision that was made in the process and that RJ was able to restore their relationships.



and essential coordination to ensure legal service for poor and disadvantaged groups.

Quarterly Meeting with Prison Staff The Reducing

Recidivism component of IRSOP project has initiated a new activity called the “Quarterly Meeting with Prison Staff”

with an aim to enhance coordination with local prison authorities for smoothly implementing the project activities at the field level. This initiative has commenced in all working areas of DAM-GIZ-IRSOP project and in RDRS project area of Dinajpur in the first quarter of 2017 (January – March). These meetings took place between 15 March to 30 March 2017. In the DAM-GIZ-IRSOP project areas a combined total of 119 participants attended the meetings in Jessore, Chittagong, Mymensingh, Kashimpur and Dhaka.

The Objectives of the Meeting was to strengthen coordination among Paralegal Advisory Services, Reducing Recidivism component and local Prison authority; make the working environment for IRSOP project smooth; share and review achievements of the IRSOP project; find out the existing areas of development and ways to overcome the challenges; and to ensure quality of all activities inside prison through supportive supervision and monitoring of local prison authority.

In the DAM-GIZ-IRSOP project areas, all meetings were chaired by the Senior Jail Supers, except

Dhaka Central Jail (DCJ), which was chaired by the Assistant Surgeon on behalf of Sr. Jail Super. Among others present at the meeting from the prison authorities’ end were the Deputy Jailors, Diploma Nurse, Pharmacists, Head warders, and Matrons. The National Project Coordinator, Manager Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Project Officer, Divisional Project Officer Paralegal Advisory Services (DOPAS) from GIZ, District Project Officer (DPO), Paralegals, Deputy Director and Assistant Director of Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM), Project Coordinator, Capacity Building Manager cum Sr. Counselor, Capacity Building Officers, Quality Assurance Officer, Rehabilitation Supervisor cum Counselors, Rehabilitation Supervisors and counselors of the project attended the meetings in different prisons. After the inauguration by the Sr. Jail Supers the meetings commenced with GIZ representatives introducing the objectives.

In the RDRS project area of Dinajpur, Mr. Sayeed Hussein, Jail Super of Dinajpur District Jail, presided over the review meeting which took place at his office. SM Arif-uz-Zaman, Rehabilitation Supervisor, IRSOP Project RDRS Bangladesh Dinajpur Unit was the moderator for the meeting session. Tapan Kumar Saha presented the progress report for the first quarter in Dinajpur.

Skill Development Training Inauguration of Handicraft Training (Jute)

at Kashimpur Female Central Jail “The training is an opportunity for you and you should be regular and attentive in the training. When you will be released, you can be an entrepreneur”, said the Jailor during the inauguration of Skill Development Training on Handicraft (Jute) at Kashimpur Female Central Jail on 19 March 2017.

The training was inaugurated by the Jailor Ms. Ummey Salma. The course includes 32 hour sessions and will be given to 20 under trial prisoners who were nominated by the jail authority. The prison guard Ranu, Rehabilitation Supervisor cum Counselor of IRSOP Project Nilufar Yesmin and Afroza Jahan were present during the opening ceremony.

Event Report Observation of Corruption Prevention

Week, 2017 Raising honesty, integrity and awareness among the public for reducing the level of corruption is the mandate of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). As a part of their manifold initiatives, the

ACC organizes the annual Corruption Prevention week. During this year’s Corruption Prevention week



from 26 March to 1 April the ACC organized different programmes and activities with various stakeholders on the national and community level to mark this occasion.

On 29 March 2017, ACC organized a performance award ceremony for Corruption Prevention Committees (CPCs) of Dhaka, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions. Four CPCs from each division have been awarded under the following criteria;

1. Best District CPC

2. 1st best Upazila CPC

3. 2nd best Upazila CPC

4. 3rd best Upazila CPC

Corruption Prevention Committee of Rajoir Upazila of Madaripur district, working Upazila of Corruption Prevention component, received the award as the 3rd best Upazila CPC from Dhaka division. There

were nine members of Rajoir Upazila committee present in the award ceremony to receive the crest from the ACC.

In the five pilot districts of JRCP project, all stakeholders, including CPC, CPF, teachers and students of Integrity Units, journalists and government officials, observed the Corruption Prevention week through various kinds of campaign programmes. The main objective of observing the week was to make corruption prevention a mainstream issue and to raise awareness in the community.

Rallies and human chains against corruption, as well as discussion meetings were organized jointly by the stakeholders and the PNGOs. Students participated in essay writing, debates and wall magazine competitions on the themes of honesty, integrity and corruption prevention.

Certificate Giving Ceremony of Beautician Training at Chittagong Central Jail 15 participants

received certificates for completing the

beautician training at

Chittagong Central Jail on 9 March 2017.

The course was conducted in 40 sessions commencing on 15 November 2016 and completed on 19 January 2017.

Iqbal Kabir Chowdhury, Senior Jail Super and chief guest at the event, distributed the certificates to the participants. The ceremony was chaired by Mujibor Rahman, Jailor, and among others Atikur Rahman, Deputy Jailor; Shahdath Hossain, District Project officer (PAS); Shanta Acharjee, Trainer; Paralegals and Dhaka Ahsania Mission’s Officers

were present. The program was facilitated by Lutfun Nesa Shantana, Rehabilitation Supervisor Cum Counselor.

The Sr. Jail Super stressed the importance of rehabilitation activities at the certificate distribution ceremony, as he said, “We are very happy to see the training arranged for prisoners inside the prison. It will make them skilled, but IRSOP project needs to focus on rehabilitation, and it is an urgent need of poor prisoners to be employed so that they can keep themselves away from unlawful activities, and thus reduce their returning back to jail”. He also advised the participants to use the knowledge and skill they achieved from the training so that they can earn and contribute to their family.

Information and Motivation Campaign

The Rule of Law Programme has undertaken an information and motivation campaign with information related to free legal aid services provided by the Government of Bangladesh through National Daily Newspapers on the occasion of International Women’s Day, 2017.

The objective of the campaign was to raise awareness for ensuring access to government legal aid services for the poor and the disadvantaged, especially for women and children, who are one of the key recipients of legal aid service. The campaign messages reflecting upon

the free legal aid services provided by the National Legal Aid Services Organization (NLASO) to citizens was published on the front page of the leading national newspapers, Bangladesh Protidin and The Daily Samakal on 8 March, 2017.

The newspaper had a viewership of about 2 million people and is expected to reach the maximum number of readers throughout the country. It achieved an effective outreach of 1,000,000 citizens for the published message of the project and the government focusing on information related to law and justice system. The next



newspaper campaign will be held in April 2017 to observe the National Legal Aid Day 2017, focusing

on alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to access the justice system.

Capacity Building

Training on Information Management System (IMS)

From 12 to 16 March 2017 BRAC, BLAST and MLAA jointly organized the second batch of Training on Information Management System (IMS) at BRDB (DANIDA) Training Centre, Noakhali. 2 DPOs and 10 paralegals from the newly recruited districts of Noakhali and Munshiganj attended the training. Moreover, two DPOs from Chandpur and Chittagong and two paralegals from Khulna and Kustia attended the training. A total of 16 participants (6 female, 10 male) including 12 Paralegals (6 female, 6 male) and 4 DPOs (4 male) have received the training.

Restorative Justice Team Received IT & IMS Training

Three day training was held at Sunamganj training centre in Sylhet from 15 to 17 March 2017 with an aim to orient field staff of Restorative Justice and Diversion of the Partner NGOs FIVDB and SUS on Information Technology (IT) and Information Management System (IMS).

The training was organized by Restorative Justice & Diversion Team. In total, 23 participants (8 female, 15 male) received the training on MS office and other basic computer application.

Juvenile Development Centre Support in Jessore

Jessore paralegal team has been providing support to juveniles since the beginning of the IRSOP project. In June 2016, this team started collecting the information in a more structured way using forms and a database. Since then, they were able to support 20 juveniles in the Juvenile Development Centre ensuring legal representation, providing legal information to their family about what to do, and providing case related feedback and counselling. Through their intervention, one juvenile has been released on bail from the correctional centre and almost 50 types of interventions were provided to juveniles.

Acceleration of Women Participation in Mediation and RJ

Madaripur Legal Aid Association (MLAA) organized an annual gathering on 28 March 2017 at Kalkini Upazila in Madaripur with an aim to train co-facilitators of RJ sessions and increase women’s participation in local dispute resolution in their community. The gathering provided a platform for female mediators to share their knowledge on present mediation situation. The women jointly developed strategies for female participation in local dispute resolution. A total number of 35 female participants were present and it was held at Kalkini Upazila teacher’s office.

Coordination among the stakeholders In this reporting period 25 Case Coordination Committee Meetings (CCC) meetings were held. Meetings did not held in Dhaka, Dinajpur, Comilla, Patuakhali and Pabna. Summary of the key decisions taken in February, 2017 are as follows:

Barisal 27th CCC meeting held on 22nd March 2017

Police super will prepare a list of anti-corruption cases pending for Police report in different Police stations of Barisal and it will be sent to the Learned Chief Judicial Magistrate, Barisal.

Concerned authorities will make sure that the mobile numbers of Investigating Officers, Doctors and Learned Magistrates’ witnesses are included in the charge



sheet and also in their official seals.

Bogra 71st CCC meeting held on 29th March 2017

Deputy Director, Local Government, Bogra will provide an update of 20 cases which are being transferred to the Village Court from the Learned Judicial Magistrate Court.

Learned Judges of respective Courts will send copies of summons/WW/NBWW/NER to the Learned District Magistrate’s Office to ensure the presence of the witnesses like learned Magistrates, Govt. Officials and Doctors in long pending cases.

Chittagong 23rd CCC meeting held on 22nd March 2017

District Narcotic Control Department and Sr. Jail Super, Chittagong with support from the paralegals will ensure the participation of a Senior Official from said department in up-coming CCC meetings.

Sr. Jail Super by the support of paralegals will supervise the status of the lawyer appointment and hearing for bail in the cases presented in CCC Meetings through CCC case list.

Sr. Jail Super will ensure the name and mobile number of concerned Panel Lawyers in respective prisoner’s case card.

Foreign Prisoners (Rohingya) need to be sent to the Rohingya Camp after their release. Thus it has been decided to incorporate the caretaker of the Camp as an observer to ensure their (Rohingya) smooth return to the camp and presence at next hearing date after bail.

Paralegal team will provide the information to the Learned Additional District Magistrate before release of the poor, distressed or physically challenged prisoners.

Panel Lawyers of District Bar Association will provide necessary support to prompt disposal of pending cases presented in CCC.

Partner NGO office (BLAST, Chittagong) will prepare a list of cases (murder, other capital punishment) which are pending for bail since 7-8 years and will initiate further steps to send the list to the Honourable Supreme Court.

Faridpur 20th CCC meeting held on 5th March 2017

Paralegal team with the permission of concern Learned Courts will gradually identify the backlogged cases of each court and present the cases to the CCC.

Honourable CCC members asked GIZ Bangladesh to develop a database on identified backlogged cases.

Gazipur 5th CCC meeting held on 21st March 2017

A list will be prepared of the cases of the under trial prisoners in Kashimpur Jail, whose cases have been pending for more than 5 years.. The list of those cases will be forwarded to Dhaka paralegal team for resolving through the CCC and a copy of the list will be provided to the Learned District Magistrate, Gazipur as well.

Learned Chief Judicial Magistrate informed that the numbers of prisoners in Gazipur District Prison are beyon the prison capacity and simultaneously the prison population of Kashimpur Central Prison is less than its capacity. On basis of his proposal it is decided that Jail Super of Gazipur District Prison will initiate a transfer process of some prisoners to Kashimpur Central Prison.

As per the case list presented in CCC the Joint Chair of the Committee asked Additional Police Super to ensure presence of witnesses to speed up the trial process of these cases and Additional Police Super assured the presence of witnesses on the next hearing date and also to provide the report on their presence.



On the basis of the information and proposal of Additional Police Super, a report will be submitted to the concerned Learned Courts regarding the witnesses who are missing and the reasons for non-appearance of the witnesses. It will result in resolving the unnecessary delay.

Gaibandha 8th CCC meeting held on 15th March 2017

Police Super will nominate a Police Officer as focal person to take necessary initiatives for the cases presented in CCC.

Gopalganj 27th CCC meeting held on 20th March 2017

Civil Surgeon will be responsible for ensuring the computerized Medical Certificates.

Paralegal team will ensure the presence of concerned Learned Judges as per the cases presented in the CCC.

Jessore 29th CCC meeting held on 29th March 2017

Public Prosecutor will identify the sensational cases and inform the concerned Learned Courts and also present these cases in the “Zila Ain Srinkhola Meeting (District Law and Order Meeting)”.

Before engaging lawyers for prisoner’s the paralegal team should verify from the case document whether the respective prisoner already has a lawyer or not.

Civil Surgeon will organize a coordination meeting with the doctors regarding issuance of medical certificate.

Administrator, Jessore Medical College Hospital will ensure the mobile numbers in the doctor’s register book.

Khulna 19th CCC meeting held on 22nd March 2017

Paralegal team will collect the Jail Appeal cases from prison and forward those cases to the Honourable Supreme Court Legal Aid committee through CCC.

Paralegals will accompany the Learned Sr. District Judge and Learned District Magistrate (Deputy Commissioner) during their prison visit.

Kishoreganj 17th CCC meeting held on 22nd March 2017

Deputy Director of the Department of Social Services assured their support to the paralegal team to work together with the Upazila and Union level officers of the Social Services Department to ensure public witnesses from concerned working areas.

Madaripur 78th CCC meeting held on 29th March 2017

Paralegal team will communicate with the Court Staff of the concerned Learned Courts regarding the issuance of summons (summons not yet served) in the cases pending for witness.

Mymensingh 29th CCC meeting held on 19th March 2017

Representative of Police Super will pay extra attention to the long pending cases presented in CCC and those pending for examination of witness before next hearing date.

Narsingdi 28th CCC meeting held on 28th March 2017

Paralegal team will collect information of backlogged cases from the Learned District Judge’s Court and present them before the CCC.

Rajshahi 26th CCC meeting held on 28th March 2017

Additional Police Commissioner (focal person), Rajshahi will provide a report on absence of the witness in fixed hearing date to the concern Learned Courts on the



basis of PRB Section 323.

Paralegal team will collect the list of transferred cases from different Learned Courts to Village Court and send the list to Deputy Director, Local Government, Rajshahi.

Rangpur 27th CCC meeting held on 29th March 2017

Honourable CCC members recommended the Advisory Committee of IRSOP Project to amend the provision of food and conveyance allowance for the witnesses.

It was decided in the meeting that the ID numbers of Police witnesses will be collected from the case documents and these numbers will be provided to the Learned Courts that issued the summons or warrant.

Sylhet 14th CCC meeting held on 29th March 2017

Member Secretary with the support of PAS team will provide the data of how many prisoners were released after commencement of CCC and current prison population of Sylhet Central Jail.

Cases of the prisoners accused in petty cases and staying in prison for 2-3 years will be presented before CCC meeting.

Thakurgaon 4th CCC meeting held on 15th March 2017

Paralegal team will hang IRSOP banners at the premise of the Learned District Magistrate (Deputy Commissioner) Office, Court, Police station and Prison to increase mass awareness.

CCC meeting will be held on the second week of every month in consultation with the Joint Chair.

Kustia 6th CCC meeting held on 28th March 2017

As per the Rule - 68 of Criminal Rules and Order, all the summons of witnesses should be served through the Court Inspector.

Manikganj 5th CCC meeting held on 27th March 2017

Representatives of the Police Super and Civil Surgeon by the support of Paralegal team will provide the mobile numbers of Investigating Officer and Medical Officer as witnesses to the concerned learned courts.

Cases pending for 5 years or more will be presented before the CCC.

Achievements by the Paralegal Advisory Services (PAS) in March 2017

Name of the District

Released from Prison

PAS Interventions

Support in Courts

Support in Police Stations

Number of PLCs

Seeking Legal Assistance from

PLCs Barisal 11 609 303 48 8 33 Bogra 33 780 366 26 7 11 Chandpur 13 303 180 15 8 14 Chittagong 8 1274 270 49 8 44 Comilla 39 1152 272 24 8 34 Dhaka 123 3067 902 76 11 67 Dinajpur 7 628 133 20 3 15 Faridpur 4 145 183 15 4 18 Gaibandha 6 588 138 10 6 30 Gazipur 17 516 183 8 8 51 Gopalganj 10 291 152 6 8 10 Jhenaidah 4 156 60 4 9 6



9184 10582 10377 11835 12462 11009 10408 1190910168

15642 16480 1796619632

17467 18035

Jan'16 Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan'17 Feb Mar

Interventions by Paralegals from Jan'16 to Mar'17

Trend of Interventions

Name of the District


PAS Interventions

Support in Courts

Support in Police Stations

Number of PLCs

Seeking Legal Assistance from

PLCs Jessore 9 882 217 10 6 22 Khulna 18 710 267 22 7 59 Kishoreganj 17 420 190 17 7 21 Kustia 8 532 190 12 8 33 Madaripur 4 252 228 7 8 24 Manikganj 10 307 136 11 7 17 Moulvibazar 12 318 154 8 6 13 Munshiganj 0 43 15 1 4 28 Mymensingh 18 875 277 22 6 26 Narsingdi 25 426 172 8 9 17 Natore 2 76 18 0 5 0 Noakhali 1 58 7 0 2 7 Pabna 9 567 184 18 7 33 Patuakhali 4 240 199 11 8 31 Rajshahi 1 151 210 10 5 23 Rangpur 14 536 160 11 8 23 Satkhira 6 437 149 13 8 38 Shariatpur 2 175 183 10 8 5 Sherpur 0 128 100 1 6 57 Sirajganj 9 492 135 20 7 22 Sylhet 20 499 116 16 6 22 Tangail 4 204 46 5 6 31 Thakurgaon 0 198 148 10 8 19

Total 468 18035 6643 544 240 904

263 274 297 293 321409

238

406 371483

536

333445 421 468

Jan'16 Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan'17 Feb Mar

Prisoners Relased from Jan'16 to Mar'17

Trend of Released Prisoners



Restorative Justice and Diversion in March 2017

Reducing Recidivism in March 2017

2433

62

33 3018 20

18

Restorative Justice

Rangpur Gopalganj Madaripur Dinajpur

Bogra Jessore Satkhira Thakurgaon

18

24

36

22 21 19

28

17

Mediation

Rangpur Gopalganj Madaripur DinajpurBogra Jessore Satkhira Thakurgaon

31 28

57

38 32 35 35 35

Diversion

Rangpur Gopalganj Madaripur Dinajpur Bogra Jessore Satkhira Thakurgaon

0

3

01

01

2

0

Skill Development training

Dhaka Bogra JessoreRangpur Mymensingh ChittagongDinajpur Comilla

70

4

32 33 27 31 26

85

1 1

Drug Referrals

Dhaka Bogra Jessore RangpurMymensingh Chittagong Comilla DinajpurSylhet Rajshahi

177

83

046 68

2061

90105

Motivational Sessions

Dhaka Mymensingh Madaripur Rangpur Dinajpur Bogra Chittagong Jessore Comilla



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Case Studies

A Deserted Mother A murder case was filed against Usha Rani (Pseudo name), a 70 year old woman suffering from cataract in both eyes from old age. The main offenders of the case were her son and daughter-in-law who had run away leaving her to face the penalty for their crime. In their absence, the police arrested Usha from her home as an accessory to murder.

Usha was sent to Rangpur prison on 5 August 2016. On 18 August, Paralegals met her at a Paralegal Aid Clinic (PLC), a legal empowerment session inside the prison where paralegals assisted her to apply for Government Legal Aid. Prior to that, she has had no legal representation - but with the paralegals’ help a lawyer from District Legal Aid Committee (DLAC) was appointed. The first bail application was rejected, but paralegals continued to update Usha about her case and thus gave her hope. Finally, after 4 months of imprisonment, on 7 December 2016, her second application for bail was granted and Usha was sent home. Her son and daughter-in-law are still on the run, having deserted her. Usha, a widow who barely has the faculty of sight left and struggles to look after her, still however, took heed of the paralegal’s instructions and realized the importance of her presence on hearing dates. Thanks to the paralegal’s continuous effort, Usha is regularly present on hearing dates and contributes to a speedy case handling.

Free from Uncertainty Rekha (Pseudo name), was living at Putia Upazila in Rajshahi. She was arrested for murdering her neighbour in a fight in October 2010. Together with her one year old daughter, Rekha was sent to

Rajshahi Central Jail. Even though she had a personal lawyer her case was not being moved for more than six years.

One day, Rekha explained her situation to the paralegals of the IRSOP project, whom she had seen coming to the prison regularly. Noticing the delay, the paralegals immediately filled legal

assistance form for her and contacted her family to explain the benefits of Government Legal Aid. Upon discussion with the District Project Officer (DPO) of IRSOP project, the paralegals raised the case at the monthly meeting of the Case Coordination Committee (CCC). One of the major mandates of the CCC is to bring local solution to the local problems. As result of

the CCC meeting, a timely hearing of the witnesses was completed and finally, after more than 6 years of under trial imprisonment, Rekha was sentenced to ‘imprisonment for life’ in February 2017.

Paralegal Advisory Service cannot always bring the comfort of release or bail to the beneficiaries- but sometimes the beneficiaries can be relieved from the clutches of uncertainty and finally have the peace of a final verdict as a result of the paralegals’ intervention.

Story of a Jail Return Md. Arifur Rahman Sumon is a 36 year old unemployed man from the village of Baluadanga in Dinajpur Sadar Upazila. After marrying his wife Sabrina, he started looking for a job to earn a living for his family, but had no luck. He began to

spend his time with some of his local friends who were drug addicted. The unemployment made him depressed lead him to start taking Cannabis. Gradually Arif began to take heroin and became dependent on it, needed BDT 300 to 500 every day for his drug dependency. Whenever his mother and wife refused to give him money to buy drugs, he reacted with violence, destroying household

items and sometimes selling them at the local market in order to get the money. His wife

70 year old woman suffering from cataract in both eyes from old age had no legal representation, with the paralegals’ help a lawyer from District Legal Aid Committee (DLAC) was appointed and finally got bail after 4 months of imprisonment…

Paralegal Advisory Service cannot always bring the comfort of release or bail to the beneficiaries- but sometimes the beneficiaries can be relieved from the clutches of uncertainty and finally have the peace of a final verdict

Arif agreed to stop abusing drugs and to go to a drug rehabilitation centre. His family and IRSOP project jointly financed his drug treatment program for 3 months. After being released, he started work in a local office.



managed to get a job at an NGO and bore the expenses of the entire family. Even after the birth of both his sons he continued abusing heroin. All his family members requested him many times to get treatment for his addiction but all went in vain. Arif’s mother lodged a case at Kotwali Police Station in Dinajpur and police arrested him twice. His wife sent him for drug treatment but after returning back, he restarted abusing drugs.

His wife, with the help of the mobile court, yet again sent him to jail in order to stop him from abusing drugs.

IRSOP paralegals identified Arif inside prison referred him to the drug counsellor of IRSOP Project. The counsellors provided individual counselling after his release and contacted family members and relatives to provide family counselling. Repeated sessions were given and after several sessions, Arif agreed to stop abusing drugs and to go to a drug rehabilitation centre. His family and IRSOP project jointly financed his drug treatment program for 3 months. After being released, he started work in a local office.

Arif is now working in an NGO for a school feeding project as a store keeper and earns BDT 12,000 each month. His family members are grateful to the IRSOP project for their kind assistance.

The Story of Kulsum Kulsum Begum was 35 years old and lived at Satmatha, Mahigonj, Kotowali in Rangpur District. She was living a peaceful conjugal life with her

husband and children. On 29

September 2015, the police barricaded her house. While male members of her family had left the

premises, Kulsum was arrested and sent to Prison

being charged for drug possession.

While Kulsum was in prison, she learned about the IRSOP project and the skill development trainings for prisoners’ rehabilitation. The paralegals collected her case documents from her personal lawyer and followed up with her lawyer and family for expediting her case procedure. According to her interest, she was selected for “Dress- Making and

Tailoring training” by the paralegals. She completed a 40 day “Dress Making and Tailoring training” successfully. She also took part in the motivational sessions conducted by the Senior Jail Super and Rehabilitation Supervisor. Kulsum was eventually granted bail from the court.

In January 2017, Kulsum got a sewing machine from the Prisoners Correctional Samity under Department of Social Service that was handed to her by the Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur District. Kulsum expressed her heartfelt gratitude to all the relevant individuals of RDRS Bangladesh, GIZ and Social service department Rangpur.

Kulsum had been a housewife before entering prison. Currently she is living in her own house and earning on average BDT 250-300 per day through tailoring work in her local area. Now Kulsum is taking care of her family from this income and lives a happy life.

Back to lighten life Matiar Rahman had served in Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) as a soldier from 1988 after passing his SSC examination. His life had been going smooth and he was enjoying his life with his family and the government job.

After the BDR mutiny in February 2009, darkness fell upon his life and he entered into the life of imprisonment. He was identified and informed about the IRSOP project by the Rehabilitation Supervisor (RS). Matiar participated in a two day counselling session for skill development training and in a five day long motivational session inside the prison.

After being motivated through those sessions, he expresses great interest for attending skill development training. His family members, contacted by IRSOP personnel for family counselling, encouraged his participation in the training. After his release from prison, Rehabilitation Supervisor communicated with him and discussed the training issue. The RS found him to be confident and having a keen interest in the computer training.

Matiars’ monthly remuneration is BDT 20,000. At present, about 7 to 8 people work under his supervision. He has said “IRSOP project has helped me to gain back my reputation and happiness in my life, thanks to Dhaka Ahsania Mission for bringing me back into the society”.

Kulsum has completed a 40 day long “Dress Making and Tailoring training” successfully and took part in the motivational sessions conducted by the Senior Jail Super and Rehabilitation Supervisor. Kulsum was eventually granted bail from the court. Currently she is living in her own house and earning on average BDT 250-300 per day through tailoring…



Finally, he was admitted in a three month skill development training course on Basic Computer Knowledge at Mozumder Computer Centre, Jhigatola, Dhaka. During training he was found to be attentive and regular at the training sessions. He completed the training on time with first-rate performance.

After completing the training, he started working with “Amecon Niaz Metallic” as Manager. His monthly remuneration is BDT 20,000. He has earned a good reputation at his working place within a very short time. At present, about 7 to 8 people work under his supervision. He is very happy with his present job and in his family life. He is grateful to the IRSOP project and he has said “IRSOP project has helped me to gain back my reputation and happiness in my life, thanks to Dhaka Ahsania Mission for bringing me back into the society”.

Reunification of Brothers through Restorative Justice

Rabi is from Horizon community and lives with his brothers in Chuhor village in Pairabond Union of Mithapukur Upazilla. Being the eldest of four brothers, he started looking after his siblings once both their parents died consecutively. Rabi helped his brothers and their families from time to time because they had no steady income. Their difficult socio-economic situation often was a reason for quarrel within and between the families. The three brothers and their families all used Rabi’s electric meter and paid the bill rotationally. The electric bill of October 2016 was supposed to be paid by Harish, who however frequently spent his money on local alcohol. As a result, when the October bill was issues, he was not able to pay it. Rabi asked him to pay the arrears bill in the following month but Harish refused. In the resulting fight, all brothers gradually got involved and they divided into two groups - one sided with Rabi and the other with Harish.

At one stage, Harish and the youngest brother Girish hit Robi. Humiliated by the younger brothers, Rabi cut off the electricity line of the others and went to the Union Parishad office for justice. But since he is from Horizon Community (lower caste), Pairabond Union Parishad refused to process his complaint. For more than one month, Rabi did not know where to go for justice, he roamed here and there and no one helped him. Meanwhile, the brothers had stopped talking. In a court yard

meeting, Union Organizer Ashraful heard about Rabi’s case and promptly took the initiative to solve the matter through Restorative Justice (RJ).

Several times Ashraful and Morsheda, a UP member, went to the home of the brothers to meet them separately and learn about the dispute. The pre-sittings revealed that they often got involved in fighting, did not have secure jobs and only little social acceptance in their community. After some sitting, all brothers and their family member agreed to have a joint sitting to finally resolve the dispute. The RJ facilitator invited the families and the respected ward’s UP member Shahjahan Miah to the RJ. In the meeting Harish and Girish acknowledged their wrong doing and expressed their regret for beating Rabi. They apologized heartily while holding Rabi’s hand. In the end of the RJ sitting, Harish paid the pending electricity bill. In order to improve their socio-economic situation, the UP member offered to employ two brothers of Rabi in the PRAN Dairy Factory as cleaners and they gratefully accepted. They promised to consume

alcohol only in festival purpose and work regularly. Their wives enrolled as federation members and UP member Morsheda helped them to get jobs in a local factory.

During follow-up visits, Ashraful found out that the brothers and their wives are pleased with their new jobs and have left their bitterness behind. Restorative Justice could not only help them to gain their livelihood but brought the families back together. The brothers now regularly play football and celebrated Holi festival together, and their wives are attending federation meetings.

He Lost a Phone but Not His Friend Emon and Rafiqul have been neighbours and friends for many years, when an unfortunate incident almost drove them apart. 18 year old Emon lives in a village north Boiruchuna in the District of Thakurgoan. In early February this year, Emon went to a picnic in Swapnapuri, an amusement park. Because Emon did not have a camera, he borrowed a mobile

Restorative Justice could not only help them to gain their livelihood but brought the families back together.

Restorative In a beat of anger, Rafiqul went to the police station for filing a case on theft. There he met with Sub Inspector Md. Alamgir Badsha who knows well about IRSOP project and alternative dispute resolution. He heard the matter and suggested Emon to get it solved locally through Restorative Justice (RJ).



phone from his friend Rafiqul to take pictures while visiting Swapnapuri. He committed to return the phone on the same day in the evening after return from picnic. Unluckily, he lost the phone at the picnic spot. The phone was untraceable and Emon was afraid about how Rafiqul would react, that is why he did not meet with him after returning home. The very next day, Rafiqul came to Emon’s house for the mobile and came to know that phone was lost. Rafiqul did not believe that the phone got lost and thought Emon sold it off for money or hide it for future use. As a result, they engaged in quarrel and fighting. In a beat of anger, Rafiqul went to the police station for filing a case on theft. There he met with Sub Inspector Md. Alamgir Badsha who knows well about IRSOP project and alternative dispute resolution. He heard the matter and suggested Emon to get it solved locally through Restorative Justice (RJ). He informed the Union Organizer of Boirchuna Union and discussed the matter with RJ facilitator. Soon, the RJ facilitator

and Union Organizer went to meet Emon to talk about the dispute. Emon was very scared and ashamed for the circumstances and hoped for a scope to escape this situation. When he heard about the process of Restorative Justice, he instantly agreed to solve the conflict in this way. Union Organizer and the RJ facilitator talked with his family and convinced them to stand for Emon. Then they talked with Rafiqul, his family and other members of the community. At the RJ sitting on 14 February 2017, all parties were present and able to jointly resolve the matter to everyone’s satisfaction. The decision was taken that Emon’s father returned BDT 1500/- as the worth of the mobile to Rafiqul. Emon apologized to Rafiqul for his irresponsible attitude. CBO members Shajahan Ali and Nomita Rani, who followed-up on the development of Emon and Rafiqul’s relation, reported that their friendship is now back to normal and both friends are spending a lot of time together.

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Annex-1

Prison Population** As on 31 March 2017

Name of the Prison Total Prisoners Under trial Safe Custody Convicted M F J FN RP Total M F J FN Total % M F J Total M F J FN RP Total %

Barisal Central Jail 1103 47 0 1 0 1151 689 34 1 724 63% 0 0 0 0 414 13 0 0 0 427 37% Bogra District Jail 2121 79 0 0 0 2200 1464 55 0 0 1519 69% 0 0 0 0 657 24 0 0 0 681 31% Chandpur District Jail 666 13 0 0 0 679 368 10 378 56% 0 298 3 301 44% Chittagong Central Jail 5695 279 0 52 4 6030 5193 252 46 5491 91% 0 502 27 6 4 539 9% Comilla Central Jail 3200 131 0 4 2 3337 2527 103 2 2632 79% 0 673 28 2 2 705 21% Dhaka Central Jail 7653 0 0 1 0 7654 6495 0 0 0 6495 85% 0 0 0 0 1158 0 0 1 0 1159 15% Dinajpur District Jail 1508 61 0 5 7 1581 1158 57 0 4 1219 77% 0 350 4 0 1 7 362 23% Faridpur District Jail 835 31 0 0 0 866 633 16 649 75% 0 0 0 0 202 15 0 217 25% Gaibandha District Jail 995 22 0 0 0 1017 759 20 0 0 779 77% 0 0 0 0 236 2 0 0 0 238 23% Gazipur District Jail 1060 59 0 0 0 1119 961 56 1017 91% 0 99 3 102 9% Gopalganj District Jail 354 21 0 0 0 375 308 19 327 87% 0 46 2 48 13% Jhenaidah District Jail 568 21 0 6 0 595 433 13 0 6 452 76% 0 0 0 0 135 8 0 0 0 143 24% Jessore Central Jail 1582 73 0 12 11 1678 1067 38 4 1109 66% 0 515 35 8 11 569 34% Kashimpur Central Jail-I 1092 0 0 6 0 1098 767 0 0 6 773 70% 0 0 0 0 325 0 0 0 0 325 30% Kashimpur Central Jail-II 2199 0 0 51 4 2254 1417 0 0 44 1461 65% 0 0 0 0 782 0 0 7 4 793 35% Kashimpur Central Jail-III 0 548 0 4 0 552 0 437 0 0 437 79% 0 0 0 0 0 111 0 4 0 115 21% Khulna District Jail 1223 46 0 1 0 1270 922 31 0 1 954 75% 0 0 0 0 301 15 0 0 316 25% Kishoreganj District Jail 1051 38 0 0 0 1089 850 31 881 81% 0 201 7 208 19% Kustia District Jail 972 24 0 0 0 996 586 20 0 0 606 61% 0 0 0 0 386 4 0 0 0 390 39% Madaripur District Jail 472 11 0 0 0 483 373 10 383 79% 0 99 1 100 21% Manikganj District Jail 623 26 0 0 0 649 506 22 0 0 528 81% 0 0 0 0 117 4 0 0 0 121 19% Moulvibazar District Jail 579 10 0 0 11 600 503 9 512 85% 0 76 1 11 88 15% Munshiganj District Jail 660 15 0 0 0 675 552 13 0 0 565 84% 0 0 0 0 108 2 0 0 0 110 16% Mymensingh Central Jail 1758 32 0 0 1 1791 1297 19 1316 73% 0 461 13 1 475 27% Narsingdi District Jail 1008 41 0 0 0 1049 840 37 0 0 877 84% 0 0 0 0 168 4 0 0 0 172 16% Natore District Jail 898 28 2 2 1 931 595 22 2 2 621 67% 0 0 0 0 303 6 0 0 1 310 33% Noakhali District Jail 900 24 0 0 0 924 635 19 0 0 654 71% 0 0 0 0 265 5 0 0 0 270 29% Pabna District Jail 1581 34 0 0 0 1615 1289 26 0 0 1315 81% 0 0 0 0 292 8 300 19% Patuakhali District Jail 441 18 0 1 0 460 333 12 0 1 346 75% 0 0 0 0 108 6 0 0 0 114 25% Rajshahi Central Jail 2605 115 0 9 0 2729 1724 78 4 1806 66% 0 0 0 0 881 37 5 923 34% Rangpur Central Jail 1820 79 0 0 1 1900 1299 53 1352 71% 0 521 26 1 548 29% Satkhira District Jail 578 17 0 0 0 595 474 12 0 486 82% 0 0 0 0 104 5 0 0 0 109 18% Shariatpur District Jail 267 11 0 0 0 278 183 9 192 69% 0 84 2 86 31% Sherpur District Jail 460 31 0 0 6 497 385 27 412 83% 0 75 4 6 85 17% Sirajganj District Jail 1060 35 0 0 0 1095 791 28 0 0 819 75% 0 0 0 0 269 7 0 0 0 276 25% Sylhet Central Jail 2111 50 0 5 11 2177 1368 33 0 3 1404 64% 1 0 0 1 742 17 0 2 11 772 35% Tangail District Jail 1654 57 0 0 0 1711 1119 49 0 0 1168 68% 0 0 0 0 535 8 0 0 0 543 32% Thakurgaon District Jail 395 14 0 0 0 409 319 9 0 0 328 80% 0 0 76 5 0 0 0 81 20%

Total 53747 2141 2 160 59 56109 41182 1679 2 124 42987 77% 1 0 0 1 12564 462 0 36 59 13121 23% Acronyms: M- Male, F-Female, J-Juvenile, FN-Foreign National, RP-Released Prisoners * Kashimpur Central Jail- I & II is for male and Kashimpur Central Jail-III is female prison ** On 31 March, 2017 the prison population was 78,397 [Male 75,524 and female 2,873] whereas capacity is only 36,614 [Male 34,940 and female 1,674]. 75% of total prison population is 60,537 (Male 58,216 and female 2,321) 'under-trial’ (i.e. prisoners waiting for trial), but convicted population is only 17,767 (Male 17,222 and female 545) and some of them are released prisoners 93 Male

86 and female 7) who have served their sentence and are mostly foreign national.

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Annex-2.1

Improvement of the Real Situation of Overcrowding in Prisons in Bangladesh (Joint project of Ministry of Home Affairs and GIZ)

Release and Paralegal Intervention for Prisoners

March, 2017 Nature of Support Number of Success Male Female Juvenile


Bail 393 378 15 0 Safe Custody 1 0 1 0 Discharged 41 40 1 0 Final Report True (FRT) 5 4 1 0 Acquitted 6 6 0 0 Released after guilty plea (convicted) 22 21 1 0 Repatriated (Foreign Prisoners) 0 0 0 0

Total number of Released 468 449 19 0 Bailed but not released 4 4 0 0 Convicted through paralegal intervention 3 3 0 0 Pre-Release Legal Intervention 15802 14176 1626 0 Post-Release Legal Intervention 2233 1837 396 0

Total number of Interventions 18035 16013 2022 0

Number of Prisoners assisted in reporting month 3913 3453 460 0

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Annex-2.2

Improvement of the Real Situation of Overcrowding in Prisons in Bangladesh

(Joint project of Ministry of Home Affairs and GIZ)

Release and Paralegal Intervention for Prisoners January 2009 to March 2017

Nature of Support Number of Success Male Female Juvenile


Bail 10957 9841 1031 85 Safe Custody 86 4 20 62 Discharged 1799 1686 79 34 Final Report True (FRT) 265 257 6 2 Acquitted 710 657 51 2 Released after guilty plea (convicted) 1349 1262 84 3 Repatriated (Foreign Prisoners) 5 5 0 0

Total number of Released 15171 13712 1271 188 Bailed but not released 78 75 2 1

Convicted through paralegal intervention 294 263 30 1

Pre-Release Legal Intervention 304184 265199 37566 1419 Post-Release Legal Intervention 50225 42065 7788 372

Total number of Interventions 354409 307264 45354 1791

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Annex-3.1 Improvement of the Real Situation of Overcrowding in Prisons in Bangladesh


Persons Assisted at Court March 2017

Total Number of Person Male Female Juvenile 6646 4213 2432 1

December 2013 to March 2017


Annex-3.2

Persons Assisted at Police Stations March 2017


December 2013 to March 2017


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Annex-4


Paralegal Aid Clinic (PLC) March 2017

No. of PLC No. of prisoners attended

for first time* No. of prisoners attended

previously Total Attended Prisoners Seeking Legal Assistance

Male Female Male Female Male Female Total

Total 240 2120 691 1129 1386 3249 2077 5326 904

Inception to March 2017

No. of PLC No. of new prisoners

attended for first time* No. of old prisoners attended

previously Total Attended Prisoners Seeking Legal Assistance

Male Female Male Female Male Female Total

Total 5763 49668 16155 36579 35282 86247 51437 137684 22333

* First time attendees for PLC’s are started to count from May, 2013.

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Annex-5.1



March 2017

Mediation and Restorative Justice

Categories of Complaint/Conflict

Number of Applicant Number of Opponent No. of Successful Mediation No. of Successful RJ Total Total Male Female Total Male Female

Polygamy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dowry Demand 11 0 11 11 11 0 10 1 11 Petty Theft 9 7 2 9 8 1 4 5 9 Petty assault 137 104 33 137 101 36 70 67 137 Crop Damage 6 2 4 6 2 4 6 0 6 Personal Property Damage 108 69 39 108 81 27 35 73 108 Fraud 112 81 31 112 93 19 22 90 112 Harassment 25 21 4 25 23 2 25 0 25 Early marriage 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Gambling 3 0 3 3 3 0 1 2 3 Threat of Assault 12 10 2 12 10 2 12 0 12 Others 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total 423 294 129 423 332 91 185 238 423

October 2013 to March 2017

Total Complaint/Conflict resolved through Mediation and RJ

Number of Applicant Number of Opponent No. of Successful Mediation

No. of Successful

RJ Total Total Male Female Total Male Female

10072 5988 4084 10072 8528 1544 6882 3190 10072

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Annex-5.2



March 2017

Case/Conflict Diversion

Case/Conflict referred from Total Male Female Diverted To Total Male Female

Community 244 184 60 Village Court 244 184 60 Police Station/Fari 44 32 12 Arbitration Council 44 32 12 Paralegals 0 0 0 Mediation/RJ in the Community 0 0 0 Court 0 0 0 Other CBOs for Mediation 0 0 0 Court via CCC 0 0 0 Community Police Forum 0 0 0 Others 3 2 1 Others 3 2 1

Sub Total 291 218 73 Sub Total 291 218 73

October 2013 to March 2017Case/Conflict referred

from Total Male Female Diverted To Total Male Female

Community 3769 2467 1302 Village Court 3769 2467 1302 Police Station/Fari 1146 743 403 Arbitration Council 1146 743 403 Paralegals 0 0 0 Mediation/RJ in the Community 0 0 0 Court 186 92 94 Other CBOs for Mediation 186 92 94 Court via CCC 0 0 0 Community Police Forum 0 0 0 Others 447 283 164 Others 447 283 164

Sub Total 5548 3585 1963 Sub Total 5548 3585 1963

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Annex-6.1 Improvement of the Real Situation of Overcrowding in Prisons in Bangladesh (Joint project of Ministry of Home Affairs and GIZ)

March, 20177

Skill Development Training

Sl. No. District Under trial Convicted Total

Attended Skill Development

Training Inside prisons Outside prison

Life skill/ motivational

sessions Male Female Male Female Total Male Female Male Female Male Female

1 Dhaka 162 50 15 0 227 177 0 0 0 0 137 40 2 Mymensingh 135 18 5 0 158 83 0 0 0 0 73 10 3 Madaripur 0 0 4 Rangpur 27 1 2 0 30 47 0 0 1 0 25 21 5 Dinajpur 7 19 43 0 69 70 0 0 1 1 50 18 6 Bogra 1 19 0 2 22 23 0 0 0 3 0 20 7 Chittagong 61 51 4 1 117 62 0 0 0 1 27 34 8 Jessore 68 33 0 0 101 90 0 0 0 0 61 29 9 Comilla 88 38 9 0 135 105 0 0 0 0 82 23

10 Sylhet 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 Rajshahi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total 549 229 79 3 860 657 0 0 2 5 455 195 October 2013 to March 2017

Sl. No. District Under

trial Convicted Total Attended

Skill Development

Training Inside prison Outside

prison Life skill/

motivational sessions

Male Female Male Female Total Male Female Male Female Male Female 1 Dhaka 3296 889 746 152 5083 1583 376 174 85 8 800 140 2 Mymensingh 1165 205 178 35 1583 568 106 14 32 16 326 74 3 Madaripur 398 114 21 4 537 20 20 0 0 0 0 0 4 Rangpur 637 131 217 56 1041 631 214 36 19 2 263 97 5 Dinajpur 324 188 543 68 1123 491 111 33 8 1 243 95 6 Bogra 579 161 820 69 1629 830 373 49 108 3 217 80 7 Chittagong 843 440 396 33 1712 671 157 49 46 13 279 127 8 Jessore 707 190 258 30 1185 546 86 30 28 1 303 98 9 Comilla 365 176 183 18 742 507 48 25 2 1 327 104

10 Sylhet 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 Rajshahi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total 8314 2494 3363 466 14637 5848 1491 410 328 45 2758 816

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Annex-6.2


March 2017

Drug Referrals Referral to counselling and other services Sl. No. District Under trial Convicted Total Counselling Inside outside Total

services Total persons

assisted Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female male female male female Total

1 Dhaka 90 12 11 0 113 54 11 1 0 6 0 61 11 59 11 70 2 Mymensingh 89 9 2 0 100 15 11 0 0 1 0 16 11 16 11 27 3 Madaripur 0 0 0 0 4 Rangpur 36 9 0 1 46 33 0 0 0 1 0 34 0 33 0 33 5 Dinajpur 75 12 9 0 96 76 9 0 0 3 0 79 9 76 9 85 6 Bogra 26 2 21 1 50 0 0 0 3 5 0 5 3 1 3 4 7 Chittagong 33 2 2 2 39 30 0 2 0 1 0 33 0 31 0 31 8 Jessore 38 0 0 0 38 30 0 0 0 3 0 33 0 32 0 32 9 Comilla 13 2 15 0 30 26 0 1 0 0 0 27 0 26 0 26 10 Sylhet 4 0 1 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 11 Rajshahi 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1

Total 404 48 61 4 517 266 31 4 3 20 0 290 34 276 34 310 December 2013 to March 2017

Sl. No. District

Under trial Convicted Total Male Female Male Female Identified Prisoner Drug Referral

1 Dhaka 2067 511 593 102 3273 1534 2 Mymensingh 1233 45 42 1 1321 579 3 Madaripur 265 16 4 2 287 0 4 Rangpur 346 76 32 10 464 211 5 Dinajpur 369 49 367 12 797 418 6 Bogra 991 50 1016 30 2087 980 7 Chittagong 677 30 111 6 824 714 8 Jessore 763 1 54 1 819 468 9 Comilla 48 18 114 0 180 144

10 Sylhet 10 0 1 0 11 5 Total 6769 796 2334 164 10063 5054

Documents

Monthly Report: Rule of Law Programme › content › report › irsop › ... · Diversion also functioned as facilitators and the Upazila Supervisors played a crucial role in all